Manufacturers: who has staying power
If you were buying a nice Class A today, which manufacturers would you speculate will be here 10 years from now? It's not a small question given the stresses the industry is under.
Of course, nobody can do more than guess, but... I'm thinking Winnebago and Forest River seem to have deep funding from what I read.
Anyone have a sense of who's got staying power?
RE: Future of The Class A?
I'm not sure if we are typical, but we were on the verge of buying a Class A as a pre-retirement upgrade of our TrailManor. As many have said here, if I already owned a Class A I would not fret about it and just drive it as far and long as my budget allowed.
But as a "pre-buyer" everything changes. Got to assume thousands more per year, greater depreciation and less resale value, etc. It is true that the lower RV prices would cover at least part of the higher gas but at 60 cents a mile or so for fuel, we are not going to jump in.
For now, we'll stay within 500 miles or so of home, and stick with the TrailManor. I'll do the math again in a year or so.
RE: Storage in America
When you decide to store it in the states, I suggest that you consider a 1 hour drive outside of any big city.
The storage costs for enclosed space drop off dramatically as you enter the small towns and rural areas. Since you don't have to worry about the round trip over and over again, you'll find a great value.
Washer-Dryer en route
Can I assume that in any class A with a washer-dryer you can run the unit (with propane and/or generator running) while rolling?
I realize there are theoretic concerns about the safety or driving with propane open, etc. but just wondering about whether we can wash and roll at the same time.
RE: Gas or Diesel ?
It's interesting to me how the general consensus here is to virtually always get a diesel over a gas Class A if you can afford it. The two basic arguments are a) that performance, engine durability and mileage are better and b) that they are generally better-outfitted coaches with more frills and possibly better quality.
As a would-be Class A buyer, I can't argue with item "a)" above. However, since I'd put on about 10K per year on average, I really don't need a 500,000 mile engine and performance, as long as it is save, is not a priority for me.
As to point "b)", I wonder if some of the responders have had an opportunity to see some of the better gas Class A's, say the Georgetown, or the newer Damon Challengers or Winnebagos. They seem pretty nice, and similar to the low or mid-level DPs that I have seen.
Is it possible that the newer gas models have really been upgraded a lot, and that some of the automatic "get a diesel" responses might no longer be as valid as in the past? Asking out of curiosity and information need, not trying to be judgmental of those who were good enough to respond, one way or the other. The newer and nicer gas models seem to have come a long way.
RE: Winnebago that gets 20 mpg ??
Rich, how big are you? I'm 6'0" & 220 lbs. Are you bigger than that? Chuck.
I'm 6 feet but have a habit of sleeping with my feet hanging over the edge of the bed. Good example of why some coaches work for some buyers but not for others.
I tended to adjust after a night or two, but most of our trips were 3-4 nights at that time, so that didn't work out too well.
In fairness, I do know several roadmaster sprinter owners who are quite content with their little rigs. The TrailManor is a much better choice for us. But... we're eyeing some "real" class A's for after retirement in a year or so if we can work out the storage issue.
RE: Lazydays Financials
For what it's worth, Don Wallace is also a major benefactor for some very worthy charities including a major cancer center in Tampa.
It's reaffirming that he chose to use his RV-derived wealth in a generous and compassionate way.
RE: Winnebago that gets 20 mpg ??
We owned a Great West sprinter motorhome (really a class A in design, though few would call it that). I can vouch for 20mpg.
I can also vouch for not being able to turn around near my DW for lack of room, feet banging into the walls against the bed, and very poor visibility, and uncomfortable cockpit seats.
Many owners love these things, but we are either too active, too big, or too spoiled for it. We traded for a TrailManor 31' collabsible TT (as you can tell, we are confined to storage in our city driveway) and so far enjoy it very much.
RE: Black Holding tank; how long
I was very anal about dumping early in my rv experience but came to realize it was a waste of time.
Now that's poetry!;)
RE: Damon Challenger
I have one on order from the factor, the dealer let me speical order @26% off MSRP
Harberson?
If so I'd be interested in your experience.
Rich
RE: Tampa / Treasure Island Area.
You could always try Fort Desoto, right on the beach, beautiful but often full. They reserve a few for drive-ins. You might get lucky -- it's one of the best beaches in the country.
RE: Now that it costs $.50 per mile to RV...
7 mpg
1000 miles = 143 gallons
143 gallons at ~$3.20/gal = $457 per 1000 miles
$457/1000 miles = 45.7 cents per mile.
That's gasoline prices last week. You can use diesel prices in your area, likely higher than the above. So 50 cents per mile seems reasonable, and that's just fuel (not considering oil changes periodically, nor generator usage en route or in camp).
Did I goof up somewhere? (you did catch the decimal in $.50, right?)
RE: Now that it costs $.50 per mile to RV...
Make no mistake,..... to own and to use a nice motorhome is a luxury (it costs more than to go in the car). And, it's a luxury in which most of us are willing to make sacrifices in order to enjoy. I believe the OP is exploring exactly how much are we willing to sacrifice.
Interesting replies. Most convincing to me are those who say, yeah it's gonna sting a lot more, but the pleasure we get from the lifestyle is still worth the price of admission. Bravo. Especially if you have the necessary resources within your comfort zone.
That said, whether to continue a hobby/lifestyle to which you have already made a huge financial and lifestyle commitment is a very different question from whether to dive in to the full-time class A deal to begin with. Gasoline at $4 a gallon needs to be factored in.
P.S. Garry1p's suggestions are the best (once I stopped laughing) - we can really RV for free! Why didn't I think of that ;)?
Now that it costs $.50 per mile to RV...
With gas and related prices on the rise, it costs in the neighborhood of $.40 to $.50 per mile to travel in a large class A motorhome, give or take. And while we hopefully will have some relief in gas prices one of these days, over the long haul my guess is that they aren't going down.
Assuming you don't have infinite money to spend, here are some of the stragegies I am aware of:
Reduce mileage - longer stopovers, stick to the home region
Smaller RV (though it seems you need to go MUCH smaller to feel a signficant difference)
Settle for a lesser rig, and rationalize that the savings neutralizes the rising gas expense (and at least in the budget, it really does).
Cut back on other leisure costs in order to RV freely and ignore the costs
Finally sell the stick house and full-time, using the house proceeds to live off and offset the expense.
Curious how others are coping with this inevitability, as someone who is considering a class A purchase in a year or so.
RE: Recent Site Issues
Yeah, it's bad. Again.
I'm not unappreciative of the site's sponsors and moderators, but as a somewhat experienced computer enthusiast, I have to say this is one of the most problematic forums I frequent.
I wonder if it's time do abandon the antiquated cold-fusion-based software (guessing here) for a mysql/php/apache setup or some other more robust platform. I'd be willing to pay a reasonable annual fee to have a responsive, full-featured board.
Just a suggestion. Meanwhile, thanks for all you have done to keep the board going, even if it's sluggish or outright inaccessible at times.
RE: Financing a MH and deducting interest
Thanks to CM we might have fewer duplicate questions and uneducated opinions with regard to the interest deduction.
Some campers have stated on this forum they take off the interest each year (illegially) with no problem. I'd hate to have their IRS bill if, and when, they get caught.
:? I read the post to say that you can indeed deduct the interest on an RV-secured loan. It's legal.
One of us is confused ;).
RE: Financing a MH and deducting interest
From the web site. www.irs.gov.
Publication 936 Home Mortgage Interest Deduction
“Qualified Home
For you to take a home mortgage interest deduction, your debt must be secured by a qualified home. This means your main home or your second home. A home includes a house, condominium, cooperative, mobile home, house trailer, boat, or similar property that has sleeping, cooking, and toilet facilities.”
This is the best reference and gives all of the details.
Thanks, CM. Now I can compare direct financing with a home equity loan, both interest-deductible (at least to $100k loan for the HELOC). I suspect the HELOC will win but you never know given the slow RV market.
Financing a MH and deducting interest
If you finance, say, a class A MH is the interest portion of the payments deductible the way a mortgage is on a stick home?
If so, does it have to be your only residence, or at least your primary residence?
Just doing some arithmetic exercises to kill time as retirement approaches ;).
